A South African industry leader has declared that the nation's mining industry could generate almost 200,000 new roles over the decade to 2020.

This is the claim made by Xolani Mkhwanazi, president of the Chamber of Mines, who said that the 100,000 goal set for the period in question could be exceeded by 100 per cent, according to Business Live.

He stated that the target from the Mining Industry Growth Development and Employment Task Team could be beaten if a number of restrictions to growth in the sector are tackled and annual expansion of three per cent achieved over the coming ten years.

"Energy constraints, inadequate transport capacity and uncertainty in the regulatory environment have held back progress," South Africa's finance minister Pravin Gordhan recently declared in his medium-tern budget address.

The number of people out of work in the nation fell in the third quarter of 2011, with 193,000 new employment opportunities created over the period, Statistics South Africa reports.

Posted by Lee Thrace